Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A Simple Saturday

We had one of those mornings as a family on Saturday that is still sticking with me today, 3 days later. It was completely unplanned and awesome, so I wanted to write it down so I would remember.

It wasn't anything special but it was the spontaneity and time spent together that has captured my heart.

We took a trip to the library and on a whim decided to walk the block to Athens (a local Greek restaurant) for some falafel. It wasn't open yet so we decided to try to walk another block to the Carrousel Park (an oddity we have here in our small town). Also not open.

We have been taking Asher outside everyday it's above 20 degrees but I had forgotten a hat this trip and I was concerned that his little exposed ears and short hairdo were making him cold. So we walked another 1/2 block to a local bakery for a cookie and a couple donuts for mom and dad. It was toasty and Asher is always up for a cookie. Well, we were right around the corner from a Coney Island (another small town oddity) and I had told the owner I would stop in sometime to see what all the fuss was about. So we decided to give it a try with a toddler in tow.

Not only was the treat of a coney and onion rings delicious, but our Little Man made it the entire way through lunch, in a booster seat, without complaining. It was truly awesome. We thought we could try some ice cream too, but knew when to walk away. It was a good thing we did too because as soon as I said "I think he's hit his limit" he started squirming and said "All Done!". We would do well in Vegas!

On our way back to the car we stopped by the Carrousel again to sadly find it closed. Yet a lady appeared with two ride tokens and an invite to the Grand Re-Opening the following day. A perfect cap to our awesome family morning. We walked back to the car with a little boy that had figured out he no longer wanted to hold our hand when crossing the street, but the sunshine felt good anyway even if I felt it on my back while trying to capture the hand of a rebellious 19 month old.

It is moments like these that I treasure. The spur-of-the-moment adventures that I remember doing with my family as a child. Asher probably won't remember this later in life but I hope he just remebers the fun time with his family. As for me it reminded me what this is all about. While my writing style and lack of descriptive details doesn't do that day justice, I am content to get it down as a reminder on the difficult days and as a reminder of just how far we have come.